“To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land.” These are some of the immortal words Walt Disney used to welcome the first guests to Disneyland in 1955. Disneyland’s opening day looked like the beginning of a new and prosperous era, but the Imagineers and staff that were there had a different name for it. They called it “Black Sunday.”
When Disneyland first made its debut, it was anything but magical. What should have been a marvelous and treasured event became something of an urban legend in the annals of Disney history. With some help from The Imagineering Story and Offhand Disney, we have just a few things that went wrong on Disneyland’s day one.
The Company was in Debt Before the Park Opened
Before the castle and attractions were even constructed, the Walt Disney Company was already in some serious debt. The second world war had not been kind to the studio, and a generous portion of Disney’s animation department was used to make propaganda films for the allies. Needless to say, the company needed a pick-me-up.
Walt Disney had the idea for a park designed for both children and their parents to enjoy time together, but when it came time to build the park, construction costs rose and certain corners had to be cut. This would be a decision that the company would come to regret, but it was the only way they could get the park started.
The Expected Attendance was Doubled
If you didn’t figure it out, the opening of Disneyland was a huge event that had over half the nation’s population interested. To generate publicity, Disney invited several celebrities and their families to visit the park. Some of these guests included the likes of Frank Sinatra, Fess Parker, and even a young Ronald Regan and Richard Nixon. But they weren’t the only ones who got in on the action.
Of the somewhat 11,000 invitations that were given, the attendance number was over double the expected amount. How did 11,000 invites result in over 24,000 guests? Have a look at our next entry to find out why.
There Were Counterfeit Tickets
Though there were only around 11,000 invitations to celebrities, certain guests, and their families, these invitations and tickets were apparently so easy to duplicate that the park employees and Imagineers present that day were grossly unprepared for the unexpected amount of overflow. But the story doesn’t end there.
Those who didn’t buy or create their own counterfeit tickets found other ways to get into the park, such as sneaking in and even crossing and climbing over the park walls. One man supposedly had a large ladder and charged $5.00 to climb into the park! Effective, but not without consequence.
There was a Seven Mile Traffic Backup
You read that right, because of the overpopulation caused by the counterfeit tickets, Disneyland’s parking lot soon overflowed with both invited and uninvited guests. There were so many cars in and outside of the park that there was a seven-mile traffic backup all the way from the park.
The traffic backup was so bad, one individual was quoted saying that for the first time in Walt Disney’s career, he disappointed thousands of children. Obviously, this was a serious problem that Disney would soon remedy upon future park hours, but as with the counterfeit tickets, one thing soon led to another.
They Soon Sold Out of Food and Drink
Anyone who’s ever been to a Disney Park knows that all that trecking across the Magic Kingdom burns a lot of calories and you’re going to get ridiculously hungry for churros, turkey legs, and Mickey-shaped pretzels. That’s all well and good, but imagine the crowds being so awful that there was literally no food or drink left in the park.
The overflow also closed several restaurants and even picnic areas to shut down due to a lack of food and space. Needless to say, this was a serious deal that only made the guests more dissatisfied with the opening conditions at the park.
The Broadcast was an Unrehearsed Disaster
The only thing that could make the massively underprepared opening even worse was if it was broadcast on national TV, and yet there was Art Linkletter with an ABC television news crew recording the entire dumpster fire that was Disneyland. What could possibly go wrong?
In order to generate some much-needed funding for the park, Disney made a deal with ABC, a broadcast company that they would later own, to provide a fully televised special event on the opening day of Disneyland. The result was an unprepared and unrehearsed mess described by Linkletter as trying to control three erupting volcanos. This was, unfortunately, nothing compared to how the press would describe it the day after.
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It was so Hot, Facilities and Attractions Started to Shut Down
One quick lesson everyone learns during their visit to the Disney Parks is that they get undeniably and incredibly hot, no matter which of the US parks you visit. But on that day in 1955, the temperature rose to a sweltering 100 degrees. If you blend scorching heat with crowded, underfed, and thirsty parkgoers and an underprepared staff, you’ve got a panic on your hands.
Not only that but several restaurants, facilities, and even attractions like Peter Pan’s Flight and Dumbo the Flying Elephant were shutting down. This, of course, did nothing to quell the already flustered crowds. Still, the madness continued outside the park.
The Concrete Began to Melt in the California Sun
Remember when we mentioned that certain corners had to be cut in order to prevent the company from going under? One of these cuts was the brand of cement used to build the park’s foundation and parking lot. If you put cheap concrete and cement in the hot Californian sun, what do you think will happen?
For those of you who said “it melts” you’ve won the golden Mickey. The concrete in the Disneyland lot became unstable enough that many female guests lost their high-heeled shoes as they were stuck in the ground, giving new meaning to the idea of being stuck in the park.
The Guests Were Incredibly Unruly
So far we’ve had a massive amount of guests in a tight environment, no more food or drinks, a massive parking block, and a sun hot enough to melt concrete. How do you think the public is going to react under these conditions? The answer, you’re going to have a mob.
Under all the massive shortcomings of the Disneyland park, guests began to go wild and pull some crazy stunts. Some climbed the walls of Sleeping Beauty Castle, some hijacked ride vehicles, and some even stole Autopia cars from other guests. This kind of behavior would never fly in Disney today, but it’s still a bit of a shock to learn.
There Was a Massive Plumbers Strike
Perhaps the biggest setback and matter the Disney staff and Imagineers were ultimately unprepared for was the plumber’s strike that occurred just before the park opened. This resulted in only part of the park’s plumbing being completed, and it forced the company to make a choice. Did they want the bathrooms to work or the water fountains?
Naturally, the bathrooms were in working order, but the fountains were not. This caused guests to buy drinks from the stands and restaurants and resulted in the rumor that Walt Disney had done this so that they would be forced to purchase Coke products and boost their sales. Obviously, this was not a good time for anyone.
